by M. S. Parker
Strange.
I knew Bethany and Pierce should be there. They’d told me they needed this information.
Knocking briskly on the door, I waited.
And waited.
And waited.
And acknowledged that I was waiting on people who had likely left already without bothering to tell me.
Assholes, I thought sourly.
Blowing out a breath, I tried to decide what to do. Bethany locked her office when she left. I could try it, but if they were inside and I opened the door, she'd probably be pissed. And if she was gone and the door was unlocked, she'd probably be just as pissed if I went into her office when she wasn't there. But I had to do something with the files.
I'd leave them on Pierce's desk, I decided. His office was near mine and we were on the same level, so it wouldn't be the same as going into a supervisor's office. Plus, I knew he left his office unlocked since I'd gone into it yesterday to get something for him.
I headed back down to where our offices were located, trying not to let my frustration get the best of me. As I neared the door to his office, however, I stopped suddenly.
Was that...
My skin prickled.
Heat rushed up to suffuse my face.
Oh, hell.
It was.
And before I could figure out what I should do, everything shifted.
Because the rough voice I’d just heard was most definitely Pierce’s.
And he’d just grunted out, “Bethany…fuck. Yeah. Just like that.”
Son of a bitch.
A rush of emotion welled inside me, stronger than anything I had felt in a very long time. I still held the information that Pierce had needed in my hands, my palms growing slick with sweat while my jaw locked to keep me from doing something stupid.
Anger, disgust, a seething sort of self-righteous fury that burned away the headache residing at the base of my skull – all of them thrummed within me in a cacophony that was almost loud enough to drown out the moans coming from Pierce's office.
I didn't know what to think in that moment. All I could do was stand there. Stand there and listen as Bethany urged Pierce to fuck her harder and faster.
She was his superior. Bethany was supposed to be his boss.
While there were a whole host of ethical issues brought up by what they were doing, it wasn't even those things that were causing the anger to bubble up inside me.
Bethany had shoved me aside and given second chair to Pierce because they were involved. That’s all there was to it. I was smart enough to know that I should've been given second chair. I had a lot to learn, true, but I was a better fucking lawyer.
And now I knew the truth.
But they didn’t need to know that yet. I waited a few more moments and pulled my emotions under control, closed my eyes and breathed deeply. I was going to take some time and think this through, calm down.
Anything I did right now would be driven by emotion, and that wasn't the way to handle things. This wasn't some asshole in a club. This was my job. One I'd been working my whole life toward. I needed to be smart.
As much fun as it might be to call them both on it, I knew I'd be better served by moving forward with calm deliberation and making sure I was reacting for the right reasons, rather than the petty ones.
I turned and headed back to my office. I'd wait until I heard Pierce's door close before I went to give him the files. Then I was getting the hell out of here.
By the time I finally got home, it was late and I was tired. More than that, though, I was still pissed.
Part of me was so tired, I wanted to just lay down and sleep, but at the same time, I knew there was no way I’d be sleeping any time soon. I ducked into the bathroom for a quick shower, then pulled on a pair of tight leather pants and a silk tank top.
Club Privé was a little farther from my place than I would've preferred to go considering how tired I was, but I desperately needed to blow off some steam, and part of me was hoping that I might find Arik there.
A little while with him and I’d be able to forget about the lousy day. Maybe it'd even clear my head enough that I could think through the problem with Pierce and Bethany.
And if not, well, hell, I’d still have had one more night with Arik.
When I strode through the doors, I met the eyes of the woman manning the door and nodded. Arlene was in her mid-thirties, a lesbian in a committed relationship, and one of my favorite people at the club. She was built like the side of a barn, and had a face that looked like somebody had smashed it with a hammer. She was also one of the sweetest people I’d ever met, and she could scare some of the toughest looking sons of bitches I’d ever met. She could also talk people down in a blink.
That was why she handled the door. She could have been a bailiff.
I doubted Carrie would be here tonight since she was busy with wedding preparations, but that was good. I didn't want to talk to a friend.
I wanted to fuck.
Hopefully Arik.
Bodies swayed and moved to the music. Skimming the crowd, I studied the dance floor for a long time before moving off to the staircase that led up to the VIP floor. I couldn’t see him.
It should've bothered me that I knew I'd be able to spot him in a crowd, but it didn't. I just wanted him.
One familiar form did catch my eye, and I paused briefly when Jack caught my eye, but that wouldn’t do it tonight. I gave him a smile and turned away. Settling at the bar, I ordered a drink.
Gavin found me before I was halfway through my glass.
“You look like you've had a hell of a day.”
“It’s been one hell of a week.” I crooked a smile at him and shook my head. I considered elaborating and then decided not to. It wasn’t going to help, wasn’t going to make anything any better.
“Carrie is off looking at...” Gavin frowned, looking more perplexed than normal. “Table favors and hand fans.”
I grinned at him, amused. Seeing Gavin confused and thrown off his stride was something I might've paid money for at one time. He was definitely one of those men who always seemed to know what to do in any situation. “What, Gavin, don’t you know your way around a doily and a jar of mints? A personalized bottle opener?”
“It’s not the favors.” Gavin let it go at that.
There was a shiver of fear and awe in his eyes that left me amused.
Men and weddings.
I knew beyond a doubt that he loved Carrie more than anything, but he was still freaking out a bit. Maybe it was just the planning, but it was still amusing.
Rising, I moved to the railing that faced out over the dance floor on the lower level. As Gavin moved to join me, I gave him a smile. “It won’t be long until you’re well and truly chained for life.”
“Yeah.” He nodded slowly, a glint showing in his eyes. “I can’t wait.”
It was just the event itself. Good.
Envy curled inside me, but I didn’t let it show as I leaned over and bumped his shoulder with mine. “You’re such a sap.”
He snorted, then said something else, but I didn’t hear him.
A tall, lean figure moving out on the dance floor had caught my eyes. He’d emerged from the shadows and I hadn’t seen him. My heart skipped a beat. I steadied my breathing and mentally prepared a little exit strategy.
Those few precious seconds saved me from doing something stupid.
Arik wasn’t alone.
He had a woman with him.
One I knew.
She was a regular here at the club. She was pretty and funny and nice.
She was also a submissive. More of a traditional 'yes, Sir' one.
Not like me.
As Arik led her off to the area where some of the private rooms were, my throat went tight.
I closed my hand tighter around the stem of my wine glass, and told myself that it didn't matter. We hadn't made any promises to each other.
Then why the hell did my chest hurt so badly
?
Continues in Vol. 2. Click Here to download the complete series in one box set.
Also by M. S. Parker
The Billionaire’s Mistress
Con Man Box Set
HERO Box Set
A Legal Affair Box Set
The Client
Indecent Encounter
Dom X Box Set
Unlawful Attraction Box Set
Chasing Perfection Box Set
Blindfold Box Set
Club Prive Box Set
The Pleasure Series Box Set
Exotic Desires Box Set
Pure Lust Box Set
Casual Encounter Box Set
Sinful Desires Box Set
Twisted Affair Box Set
Serving HIM Box Set
About the Author
M. S. Parker is a USA Today Bestselling author and the author of the Erotic Romance series, Club Privè and Chasing Perfection.
Living in Las Vegas, she enjoys sitting by the pool with her laptop writing on her next spicy romance.
Growing up all she wanted to be was a dancer, actor or author. So far only the latter has come true but M. S. Parker hasn’t retired her dancing shoes just yet. She is still waiting for the call for her to appear on Dancing With The Stars.
When M. S. isn't writing, she can usually be found reading– oops, scratch that! She is always writing.
For more information:
msparkerauthor
www.msparker.com
[email protected]
Acknowledgments
First, I would like to thank all of my readers. Without you, my books would not exist. I truly appreciate each and every one of you.
A big “thanks” goes out to all the Facebook fans, street team, beta readers, and advanced reviewers. You are a HUGE part of the success of all my series.
I have to thank my PA, Shannon Hunt. Without you my life would be a complete and utter mess. Also a big thank you goes out to my editor Lynette and my wonderful cover designer, Sinisa. You make my ideas and writing look so good.
